All language subtitles for Doomsday.Preppers.S02E02.720p.HDTV.x264-TTVa.en

Narrator: Across the country,

ordinary Americans from
all walks of life are

taking whatever measures
necessary to prepare.

Braxton southwick: Y
mily is preparing

for a biological
terrorist attack.

Bryan may: For the
new Madrid earthquake.

Wilma Bryant: For a
series of f5 tornadoes.

Narrator: And
protect themselves.

Man: Watch it, man.

Put it away.

Put it away.

Blevs: Sp ght there!

Narrator: From what they
peeives thfast

approaching end of the
rld we ow it.

Daughter: Dad!

Braxton: Leave her alone!

Narrator: Next, we go
inside the lives of

three committed preppe who

have devised extensive plans.

Al: Look at me.

Read my lips, I am not going

to drink my own urine.

Narrator: Gone to great lengths.

Jan beacm: I not
afraid to have to kill.

Narrator: And made huge
personal sacrifices to

ensure their very survival.

Kara southwick:
Sometimes I think

he just goes a little overboard.

Narrator: The experts
will assess their preps,

to see if they
have what it takes.

Girl: This is what
I'm going to look like.

Wade: Go ahead and jump in.

Narrator: To survive.

Jason beacham: If
anything happens,

this will mess somebody up.

Narrator: This is
doomsday preppers.

Al: All right, let's heart

with the overall.

Engineer: Okay.

You ready for it?

Al: Yeah.

Engineerheree go

musian: E, two, three.

Narrator: Big al is
a musician living in

Nashville, Tennessee,
who's usually known

for producing love songs.

♪ Singer: Whatcha going to do, ♪

♪ If there's no clean water? ♪

♪ Whatcha going to do,

♪ if there ain't no gasoline? ♪

Narrator: But lately his
focus has shifted away

from romance and upbeat lyrics.

♪ Singer: Or if the
power gets shut down, ♪

♪ And there's no
food to be found, ♪

♪ And you got a wife,
three kids to feed. ♪

Al: I want people to listen to

this song everywhere.

I'm just saying,
"whatcha going to do?"

I'm just saying is, you know,

"how you going to cope with this?"

♪ singer: Get ready
for the worst, ♪

♪ But pray for the better. ♪

♪ because when it all
hits the fan you ♪

♪ Better have your
stuff together. ♪

Al: What are you
going to do when

you ain't got no water?

What are you going to do when

you ain't got no food?

What are you going to do
when you can't call 911?

♪ Singer: Just living
the life of a ♪

♪ Doomsday prepper.

Al: I'm prepping
for nuclear war.

I sure hope I never,
ever need this thing.

Narrator: The early
1990's marked

the end of the cold war.

President bush: We can
realize a lasting peace.

Narrator: And the
beginning of nuclear

disarmament between the former

Soviet union and the U.S.

But more than 20 years later,

both nations still
keep some 2,000

warheads on hair trigger alert.

And some people believe
that Russian president

Vladimir putin is
once again making

tactical nuclear
weapons a key part of

Russia's military strategy.

Al: There's a new sense
of Russian nationalism

under Mr. putin and
I don't think that the

Russians are goi to
ber. Nice guy anymore.

I look at Vladimir and
to me he looks like

Stalin with a suit on.

I'm afraid that if we
get to a point to where

they perceive us as
being weak or having

lost our ability to
defend ourselves,

they're going to fire
god knows how many

missiles at how many targets.

It'll be all hell break loose.

The first day a whole
lot of bombs going off,

a whole lot of cities destroyed,

a whole lot of people killed.

The second day
would be basically

waking up to hell.

And the third day would be,

"okay, what am I going to eat?"

Having studied mother Russia,

I believe that the
Russians respect one

thing and one thing only,

and that is strength.

How much have they really

changed in 50 years?

Russia is Russia is Russia

and will remain so.

Narrator: It would only
take 30 minutes or less

for a Russian missile
to reach the U.S.;

half as long if it's fired
from a submarine at sea.

So al's not waiting
for missiles to

start flying to take cover.

♪ Singer: Get ready
for the worst, ♪

♪ Ut py fothe tter.

♪ because when it
all hits the fan, ♪

♪ You bter ve
your stuff together. ♪

♪ Just living the life

♪ of a doomsday prepper.

Narrator: The instant
big al sees signs

that he believes
signal an impending

Russian attack, he plans
to head 1,800 miles west

to a pre-designated
bug out location.

He's looking for three
main warning signs.

Al: One would be a
run on the dollar.

Two: Closing of the banks.

Three: Collapse of
the stock market.

That would be something
that wou sayo me

"you know what?"

It's time to go up there and

"see what's going
on for a while."

♪ singer: You might
wish you had a gun ♪

♪ When you can't call 9-1-1. ♪

♪ You better start
thinking now bout ♪

♪ The things you need.

♪ You better, better
hope someday ♪

♪ That the joke's on me. ♪

Narrator: Big al's bug
out home is located on

40 acres of land on a
5,800-foot mountain top.

It totals two
thousand square feet

and is two stories tall.

But you'd never know it because

it's all five feet below ground.

Al: I prefer not to
use the term bunker.

To me, it's an underground house

without windows.

Narrator: Big al
designed his bunker to

survive fallout; Deadly
radioactive particles

that can rain down
for hundreds of miles

after a nuclear explosion.

In the aftermath
of a nuclear war,

it could take months,
possibly years,

to decontaminate
radioactive sites.

So to condition himself
for a long-term stay

underground, big al
lives in his bunker for

three months out of every year;

staying completely submerged

for days at a time.

Al: I could stay in here
for a month, two months.

Who cares?

Narrator: Today,
al's embarking on

one of his annual
training sessions.

Extended isolation,
even in protected

environments, can
quickly cause acute

anxiety, hallucinations,
paranoia

and uncontrollable rage or fear.

Al: A week at a time,

you start to lose track of time.

There's no windows.

Night, day tends to blur.

Narrator: So when
al's in bunker mode,

he looks for ways to
keep himself sane.

Like experimenting
with his 1,500 cans

of food on a recipe he
calls "bunker stew".

Al: I pick and choose about

five different cans of goodies.

We'll start out with
some green beans;

that looks good.

All the fixins.

Narrator: Al has
enough cans of beans,

beef, corn and soup
to survive 300 days

off bunker stew alone.

Al: Now I will work my magic.

♪ Et'sunkedown
in the bunker and ♪

♪ Eat some bunker stew.

♪ All I can say deabunk ♪

♪ You've been a
friend of mine. ♪

Don't just say "well
he lives underground",

so he's a nut."

Am I nuts or are you?

Narrator: The water for
al's bunker stew comes

from 13 Springs spread
across his property.

But if nuclear bombs
detonate nearby,

the soil above
ground would become

radioactive from
fallout for years,

contaminating much of
the water supply.

So al keeps 1,000 gallons

stored with him underground.

Al: I'm not going to
drink my own urine oy?

Look at me, read my lips,

I am not going to
drink my own urine.

You know why?

Because it is
easier right now to

fill a barrel of water.

Right?

Narrator: Another
activity which keeps

big al's mind and body active

underground is chopping wood.

G al bunr is located in a region

where temperatures can
reach 40 below zero.

So big al is building
a stockpile of

10,000 pounds
of wood to fuel his

wood-burning stove.

He goes through about
a dozen logs a day.

Al: The trick is
with a wood stove

is good, dry wood.

Nice dry wood is the difference

between you and freezing.

It's your life,
literally because

without it, that's
pretty much it.

Narrator: Making bunker stew and

splitting logs can
only take up so

much of big al's
days underground.

Much of the remaining
time is spent studying

the news and all
the research he's

accumulated on the
former Soviet union's

nuclear program.

And he's learned that
they once detonated a

50-megaton bomb.

1,200 times more
powerful than the bombs

dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki combined,

it was the largest
nuclear weapon

ever tested.

Al: We didn't know
until recently

that the Soviets had,
ah, assembled and

detonated a 50-megaton device.

It's frightening that
mankind would be capable

of thinking about such
destructive power.

So long Tulsa.

good bye, good bye Pittsburgh.

You have to wonder,

what else did they build?

What else could they
be preparing to use?

Narrator: This discovery
has made big al doubt

whether or not his 30
year old bunker can

protect him from the worst of a

Russian nuclear attack.

So he's cutting his
hibernation short

to do a little remodeling.

Al: The worst thing
in this world is a man

without any options.

It's home sweet home.

Lle, Tennessee,
who has been prepping

for a nuclear war
with Russia for the

last 35 years.

But he's concerned
his elaborate bunker

may not be deep enough
underground to shield

him from deadly gamma radiation

after a nuclear blast.

Gamma rays can travel
enormous distances

and penetrate most materials,

making them the
primary threat in most

radiological disasters.

To ensure his safety,
big al's purchased a

salvaged fuel tank
to serve as an annex

gamma-ray shelter.

Al: Man, ain't that pretty.

I love it.

Narrator: He plans
to install the fuel

tank 10 feet below ground,

twice as deep as
his current bunker.

Al: Ten feet is the
optimum depth for

protection against gamma rays.

It is heavy, heavy,
heavy shielding

and it will pretty
much block everything.

Narrator: Al's tank
is 40 feet long,

8 feet wide, and
constructed from

half-inch steel.

Wh it mes to bckin
gaa radiation,

a bunker made of
steel only needs to

be 3.5 inches thick to
do the same job as a

foot of concrete or a
foot and a half of dirt.

That makes 100 percent
steel bunkers a common

choice among preppers.

Al: I got news for you,

I'm not the only guy doing this.

They don't make them
like that anymore.

It's a lot of steel.

It looks better up here

than down there doesn't it?

Oh man, this is just
blowing my mind.

It's Christmas.

Welcome home, old friend.

Narrator: Fearing an
attack could happen any

moment, al wants this
new steel addition to

his underground
home buried 10 feet

deep as soon as possible.

Al: You never know what happens

in mother Russia,
do you comrade.

Do not be foolish.

I'm going to tell you one thing,

it's a matter of a
clock ticking.

You only have trouble if

you're not prepared for it.

That's my message to America.

That's my message to
you, Mr. American.

♪ Singer: Just livin' the life ♪

♪ Of a doomsday prepper. ♪

Al: I'm ready, boys!

Hello comrades,
wherever you are.

Narrator: Big al, the experts,

practical preppers,
think that your

soon-to-be-built annex
is an cellt wato

further protect
yourself from fallout.

Your food storage
is a good start,

but because you're not
equipped to survive long

lasting effects on
the food supply chain,

you need a re-supply plan.

The experts advise that
you start a greenhouse.

Al: I agree whole-heartedly.

Narrator: To determine
how long you could

initially survive a catastrophe,

practical preppers has
scored your preps in

five categories
of 20 points each,

for a total possible
score of 100.

Food: You have no garden,
livestock or orchard.

11 out of 20 points.

Water: You need an
efficient way to

transport it from nearby
Springs to your bunker.

14 out of 20 points.

Shelter: 18 out of 20 points.

Security: 11 out of 20 points.

Your plan to expand your
bunker even deeper gives

you 15 x-factor points.

Your total survival
score is 69 out of 100.

You have an initial 12
months survival time.

Al: Well it's hard to
argue with the experts.

It's the facts and it's
just the way it is.

♪ Singer: You better
hope someday that ♪

♪ The joke's on me.

Al: I like that, Tony.

Yeah, man, there you go.

Icing on the cake, baby.

I've had a little time
to think about what I'm

doing right and what
I'm doing wrong.

Well, I guess the first thing

I came up with was,

I need to work on myself more.

I need to get in shape.

I need to get up my endurance.

Rather than concentrate
on things that can be

purchased, I'm trying
to improve my skills,

in terms of being
able to build things.

Narrat: A obal
arsenal of nearly 20,000

nuclear weapons makes
the possibility of

an incident a tangible threat.

However, the united
states and Russia are

moving toward a policy
of nuclear disarmament

aimed at reducing the likelihood

of nuclear war.

Jason beacham is a
fifteen-year-old living

in the small tow of pto, missri.

Withwo broers, fami dinrs,

schoolwork and homework,

Jason's life is mu likwhat

you'd expect a small
town teenagers would be.

But while most high
school sophomores are

preoccupied with girls,
grades, or sports,

Jason beacham has other
things on his mind.

Jason: I'm preparing for anarchy

following economic collapse.

I do not think I'm
obsessed with prepping.

I'm passionate in my
preps because I do

believe at some point that

this can save my life.

I don't think I'm paranoid, um,

just open-minded.

Since I've started prepping

I've felt more safe,

more secure in what
I do and where I go.

Narrator: Jason started prepping

in 2008 at age eleven,

as he watched the country
reel from the banking

and mortgage crisis.

Jason: I started to
become a prepper when I

was researching facts
about the economy

and how it's falling.

Narrator: 51% of
Americans believe a

financial collapse
could happen in

the next twenty-five years.

Jason believes it's
inevitable that rising

unemployment and bank
failures will lead to a

devastating economic
collapse at any moment.

Shellene: Jason has
always been a worrywart,

has always been
concerned about things a

typical child wouldn't seem to

be concerned with.

Jason: If everything
happens and the

financial collapse
leads to civil unrest,

you can actually,

there'd be two main groups.

There'd be the
police and the army

and all that and then
you'd have the people.

People who want what you have.

And no matter how
hidden you are,

they will come for it.

There's going to be
looters, marauders,

people just trying to, ya know,

overtake our home.

Shellene: Jason does
take his prepping

almost to the extreme sometimes.

It worries me just
because obviously

I'm a mom and I'm his mom.

Don'you er, sometimewishou w

like everybody else and
wasn't worried about

those type of things?

Jason: No, if you're
just like everyone else,

you're going to end up
like everyone else when,

if anything happens.

Ke I my chances
would be far better

than someone who, say, just
at the last minute goes,

tries to get to a store.

It's just way safer to have,

just everything you
could possibly need,

even like if it's odd
things like gas masks.

Narrator: Jason knows
it won't be easy for a

fifteen-year-old to
survive on his own in

the lawlessness he
believes will follow

an economic collapse.

But 's n goi to hiden thbasement

with his preps.

If the apocalypse comes,

he'soingo et it head o

and loaded for bear.

Prepping for a

cataroph economi coapsehat he

believes will turn the U.S.

Into a lawless wasteland.

Jason doesn't get an allowance,

and only earns a small
amount doing odd jobs,

so he doesn't have much
money for prepping.

Buet-mded eppe
often scavenge uante

and discarded items
thatan brepuosed

so, like many
experienced preppers,

Jason constantly scavenges
for useful ims.

Jan: I do prep on a
very, very low budget.

I try to get whatever I can.

And sometimes that
involves, you know,

like taking what I can
without people noticing.

Shellene: It's
amazing how many of

my things make their way here.

Jason: I know.

But half the time
they're old and

broken and you don't
use them anymore.

Shellene: Really?

Absolutely sometimes
I just want to

wring his neck when I
can't find my scissors,

or I can't find my rope,
or I can't find this;

guaranteed Jason
probably has it.

Jason: Um, like if my
mom comes home with

groceries or something,
I'll like take a can.

Eventually it adds up.

This is my food storage.

It's just stuff I've
been able to take

or get over a year and a half.

If I needed this food this would

last me about a year.

Weot sll water storage.

I got enough to last me awhile.

Narrator: Jason believes
that in the chaos that

will follow a total
economic breakdown,

he will very likely
have to defend his preps

against desperate refugees.

Jason: I would go
as fars I ne to,

to defend myself against
any intruder or anybody

th's ting to harm me.

M not afraid to havto kil

you have to do what you
have to do to protect

yourself and your
group orour mily

I'm thankful for growing
up with guns and weapons

and knowing how to safely use

and operate them.

Narrator: Jason target
practices once a week,

but only with
shellene's supervision.

Pistols are often
favored by preppers

because they can be
easily concealed,

but the wider spray of
shotgun pellets makes it

one of Jason's
preferred firearms.

Jason: There's people
out there who's never

shot a gun in their life.

If I practice and practice,

I can be able to get my
shotgun out in a second

and be able to protect myself.

Whenever everything goes down,

financial collapse
followed by anarchy,

stuff like that
can save your life.

Look, mom, one shot,
all right there.

That's a good shot.

Narrator: Some 12
billion bullets are

manufactured each year,
almost twice as many

bullets as there
are people on earth.

But if the economy collapses,

as Jason believes it will,

he's afraid prices
will skyrocket and

he won't be able to
afford more ammo.

So Jason also makes
his own weapons

from whatever he can scavenge.

Jason: This is a nailed
baseball bat with the

heads of the nails grinded down.

When it goes in,
it will slide in,

but when it goes out,
the hook-shaped design

right there can grab
a hold of anything,

and kind of rip and
tear and do damage.

Narrator: Today,
he's demonstrating

his latest creation for
his mom and brothers.

Shlene: So whats th?

Son: T's my maceball bat.

Elle: Seously?

Jason: Yea

shellene: Really?

Seriously?

I just want to be a normal mom.

I want to be, normal moms don't

haveacebl ba.

They don't.

Maceball bat.

Jason: This will come
in handy when basically

there's people trying
to take what you have.

Something like this
can save you some day.

It will mess somebody up.

You know?

Shellene: Do I ever
look at Jason's weapons

and question if he
should have them?

Absolutely.

I would be a horrible
parent if I didn't.

I'm his mom and we have
a great relationship and

I hope we always
have that but I have

absolutely no problem
taking away everything

that he has and throwing
it all in the safe

and locking it up.

Narrat: Ev wit hicachof wpons

Jason is concerned that
enough desperate raiders

could still overpower
him following an

economic collapse.

So rather than fight
a losing battle,

Jason has a plan b.

Jason: You should always
be smart enough to kno

when you stay and fight
d wh youeave

and right now with
my size and my age,

it's best to take what
you can carry and um,

leave but come back when they

ha the guard dn.

Shellene: So Jason, you
going to take your mom

with you when you bug out?

Jason: No.

Shellene:.

Jason: No.

Shellene: Why not?

Jason: Because.

Shellene: Because why?

I am an asset.

Jason: You got to choose smart.

Numbers can actually bbad.

The ideal group size.

Shellene: You'd leave your mom?

Jason: Maybe.

Shellene: No, I would
not leave my mom.

Jason: No, I would
not leave my mom.

Shellene: Thank you.

Jason: I can always
imagine a scenario

where I'd have to
leave by myself.

Anything can happen and
anything can go wrong.

And I believe what can
go wrong, will go wrong.

Narrator: Jason doesn't
want to be a lone wolf,

if he can avoid it,
so he's decided to

recruit more preppers
his own age.

But the initiation
test he designs for his

newest member might
end in disaster.

Prepper living in
rural Missouri.

To survive the anarchy
he believes will

follow an inevitable
financial collapse,

he's forming a "getut ododg"

group with his friends,
dilan and Austin.

Jason: I do think it's
possible to survive on

your own, but when
you're my age and size

it's probably smarter
to survive with a team.

Narrator: Jason and
dilan have been

prepping together for one year.

But Austin is a new recruit.

Tonight, Jason is
running a mock bug-out

to see if Austin has
what it takes to make it

as a full-fledged member
of his survival team.

Jason: We set up a bunch
of base rules, you know,

stay quiet, stay camouflaged,

and then survive the
best we can off our

bug out bags and not
packing anything else.

This is a big night for
Austin because this is

when he proves himself
and shows us whether or

not it's right for us to
keep him in the group.

Narrator: If Austin
passes the test,

he'll earn what Jason calls his

"prepping colors".

Jason: The prepping
colors are actual strips

of camouflage cloth.

And they symbolize
just being a member of

something bigger.

Narrator: But if Austin
slows them down or

makes poor decisions, he's out.

Jason: Snakes are
like all muscle.

Aust: I know they are edible,

but they don't have no
parasites or anything?

Jason: Um, no, that's
why you cook them.

Austin: Cook it out?

Jason: Yeah, cook it.

Narratorjasoknow
that in the event of an

economic collapse, his
team will be able to

survive three weeks
without food and three

days without water, but
finding shelter could be

an immediate necessity.

So he's tasked Austin
with finding them

adequate cover for the night.

Jan: Atin eds to
show us that he can be

smart and basically be
able to the same things

that we do on the same
skill that we do them.

Austin: This one's secure,

and has a door and
everything in it.

Dilan: Well, how big is it?

Austin: It's got three rooms,

and one room has a
big, secure door.

The only weakness on it
is the windows in the

back, but we can cover
it up with this plywood

I just brought in.

Austin: Will that work?

Is that a plan?

Jason: Yeah, let's do that.

Austin: Okay.

Narrator: Austin's
discovery has satisfied

the group's basic need
for shelter from the

elements and attack.

But the ability to make
fire is an essential

prep for any bug-out
into the wild.

It provides heat and light,

and the ability to cook,
sterilize and signal.

The boys chose to build
their fire inside to

keep it out of the elements.

Austin: Hey, let's build
our fire pit down so the

whole building
don't catch on fire.

This is going to burn big.

Jason: This is brick.

It will be fine.

Here.

Want me to light more pieces?

Austin: Hey, the
flames are reaching

the wood up there.

Jason: It's fine.

Once the wood starts to darken,

that'Shen ta it off.

This actually.

Austin: You don't
want to leave this

open for ventilation?

Narrator: Soon the
re is soigh it

threatens the entire shelter.

Austin: Do you have water?

It's getting black!

Jaso dude, is fi.

Narrator: Dilan breaks
the window to try to get

rid of the smoke,
but that only feeds

the fire more oxygen.

Jason: This isn't
making us look too good.

I'm having like a
minor panic attack.

The fire was kind
of, got more out of

control than we
thought it would.

Narrator: Austin
dons a gas mask and

extinguishes the fire before it

destroys their shelter.

Jason: Austin showed
his common sense and

just ability to pick
certain things out

and notice them.

Good thing this was a sim.

You know, learning
from our mistakes.

Almost burned down a building.

Austin: I told you guys
that it was too tall

before and we should
lower it a little,

and you guys said that was okay.

Jason: You showed that
you have common sense

and that's important.

When everything happens, that's,

common sense and just brains is

something you need.

You can have these off my bag.

It's been on there for a while,

since I first started this.

You've earned them.

Austin: Thank you.

Dilan: Good job,
part of the team.

Jason: Congratulations, man.

Austin: Thanks.

Jason: Every time we do
run a sim we learn what

we need to work on
and what we got good.

We did learn that we
have it pretty solid

with protecting and
being able to make a

shelter that we stay in.

I do believe our group
will be ready after

everything happens.

Narrator: Jason, the experts at

practical preppers
think your survival

group is an excellent
source of security,

but could be made even
more effective with a

communication plan.

You should invest in
affordable two way

radios, which will let
you communicate with

your family and friends.

Jason: I will look into
getting something like

that when I have the money.

Narrator: Your
wilderness survival

drills will prove
invaluable should you

need to bug out in a disaster.

But you should learn how
to build a fire pit that

will be safe and let you
maintain a low profile.

To determine how long
you could initially

survive a catastrophe,
practical preppers has

scored your preps in
five categories of 20

points each, for a total
possible score of 100.

Your mother knows
how to can food;

this is a skill
you should learn.

9 out of 20 points.

Water: 16 out of 20 points.

Shelter: You should
devote more time to

learning wilderness and
survival skills.

9 out of 20 points.

Security: 8 out of 20 points.

In addition, you are
young and in good shape.

This gives you a big edge.

The experts give you
eight x-factor points.

Overall you get a 50 out of 100.

You have four months
initial survival time.

Jason: That's a good assessment,

but I'm, I'm young.

And I'm way ahead of
most people my age and

you'd be surprised
how long I could last.

Narrator: The strong
recession beginning in

2008, the European debt crisis,

and continued divisiveness among

politicians have made
some economists doubtful

about the future of the economy.

However, while some fear it is

once again stalling,
few believe a total

economic collapse is likely.

Narrator: Braxton
southwick and his family

are always on the move.

A former professional
bike and truck racer,

Braxton, his wife Kara,
and their six children

can often be found
out on the trails.

But for the southwicks',
off-road safety involves

much more than just
helmets and pads.

Braxton: I'm preparing
my family for a

biological terrorist attack.

A lot of people think
if you're a prepper,

you're crazy.

And it's just not true.

There's so many
families like us.

My daughters do dance,

we have a nine to five job.

We're an all American family.

But at night, we prep.

Ys!

Les ha a family meeting.

Jayden: We'll have like
an hour talk about guns

and bullets and the whole plan.

Treston: When the
world comes to an end,

there's going to be people
looking for food,

breaking into houses, you know,

and it's really important to

protect our family.

Narrator: Braxton
southwick is a mechanic

living in the suburbs outside of

salt lake city, Utah.

With the "war on
terror" stretching into

its 11th year, Braxton
believes it's only

a matter of time before the U.S.

Gets hit with what he
views as the mother of

all biological
weapons, smallpox.

Braxton: Al qaeda and the
other terrorist groups

want nothing more than
to destroy America.

The last couple years I
startedoinresech

about terrorist attacks,
biological weapons.

If a terrorist
organization wanted to

use biological weapon,

smallpox would be number
one on their list.

Smallpox is, for the
lack of a better word,

the most beautiful biological

weapon there is.

Narrator: Smallpox is a
virus that causes a rash

and bumps that look
like chickenpox,

but are much more deadly.

Braxton: When a person
is exposed to smallpox

they start getting
blisters, headaches,

nausea, fever.

And once the symptoms show up,

you're already dead.

Narrator: Smallpox
is so contagious and

deadly that in the 1900s
it killed more people than

all 20th century wars combined.

But it was completely eradicated

worldwide in 1977.

As a result,
vaccinations to prevent

contracting the disease
are no longer given

to the general public.

Braxton fears that if
there is a smallpox

attack, the country will
be caught unprepared.

According to
government simulations,

a smallpox attack in
three states could lead

to at least 16,000
people infected and

1,000 dead across half the U.S.

Within three weeks.

Braxton: They'll find
very quickly that it

can't be contained.

That the entire country will

be infected within weeks.

You will see complete and

total panic from all Americans.

You will see
supermarkets cleaned

out within hours,
a full-size costco

cleaned out in half a day.

And people killing
each other over

a can of corn.

Narrator: Smallpox is
so contagious and deadly

that a single confirmed
case of it is I it

takes to allow the
government to begin

implementing isolation and

quarantine procedures.

Braxton dreads the
possibility of being

trapped in his home,

surrounded by the infected.

So he plans to get out
of town the second he

suspects there's a problem.

Braxton: My family's
plan is to bug

out to our cabin,
which is located up

in the mountains and away
from the population.

Taking our food, our weapons,

and all our clothing
and leaving the house.

Narrator: But Braxton
isn't convinced every

member of his family
takes the smallpox

threat as seriously as he does.

Kara: I don't know
if I believe in

doomsday or not.

Braxton tends to be very
ocd in that he gets one

idea in his head and
that hisig pject

for the next couple of years.

I'm more of the realist.

I keep things grounded
more than Braxton does.

He likes to be more
of the idealist.

Narrator: So Braxton's
setting up a surprise

to show them just how
deadly he believes

the threat can be.

Jayden: What are you doing?

Narrator: Brton
uthwk is prepping

his family for what he
believes is an eminent

terrorist attack on U.S.

Soil with the deadly
smallpox virus.

He fears smallpox will
sweep across the U.S.

In just weeks following
the first attack,

infecting tens of thousands.

Braxton: If salt lake
city was to be effected

nobody'll be going out
to the superrket

to the gas station.

Nobody'll be going to work.

Slowly the sewer
plants will shut down.

The water treatment
plants, the electricity.

After people have been
in their houses for

three to four weeks,
the cabinets are bare,

and they're starving
and needing water.

You will have to deal
with some horrible,

wicked, evil people.

Narrator: So Braxton's
plan is to bug out to a

cabin in the mountains
with his wife and his

six kids before they get
trapped among the chaos

by a military blockade.

Braxton: They woultry d

quarantine the outbreak.

The entire city
would be shut down.

We would be locked
in our houses.

You would not be able
to leave the city.

Narrator: If there
is a smallpox attack,

Braxton fears he won't
have much time to get

his family and their preps

out of the hot zone.

The response time for
the national guard's

chemicalnd biological response

force is only about 24 hours.

So today, Braxton's
running a drill to

ensure his family can
get out of town before

national guard troops show up

to turn them back.

Braxton: We're bugging
out to the cabin and

I want this to be serious.

We're going to see
how well we are

as a family doing this.

First and foremost
is bug out bags.

Okay, everybody get
your bug out bags and

it goes in front of the trailer.

After that, boys, I want
you to get your guns.

Holster them on your side;

the rifles go in next.

Then, girls, food storage.

Start bringing up
the food storage;

it goes in the trailer next.

Once the food storage
is up I want you

to pack your clothes.

I want cold weather clothes.

I know it is summertime but we

might not be coming back.

Kara: Sometimes I think
he just goes a little

overboard and we don't
need to practice these

kinds of things, but I
decided to humor him,

because he said if I
went along with his bug

out scenario, then he
would take me to dinner

where I wanted to go next week,

and basically be at my Beck and

call for an entire weekend.

Braxton: Does anyone
have any questions?

We all know what we're doing?

Kids: Yes.

Braxton: Okay, I want it fast.

You guys ready?

Let's do it.

Right now, I have thirteen guns.

Handns.

Mi-aomats assault fles

and sniper gun, which
is a thirty aught six.

Braxy: What are we grabbing?

Axto let grabhe crcoa

ab ts ba

every one of these
buckets go on.

Pile it righther on the bottom.

Wifand I have
worked really hard on

our food storage.

We have a huge amot footo stain

us f quite a long time.

Naator: The southwic' beeve ey

have enough food to
last their family

of eig oneear the road.

Braxton: That's it

les pi it into the back.

Narrator: But Braxton
can't predichow ng a

potentiasmalox
oureak could last,

soe's ising chickens
to keep him constantly

supplied with fresh eggs.

Braxton: Come on
guys let's get in.

Everybody thinks, oh
your chickens stink,

but actually
chickens don't stink.

They're super easy to raise.

They eat anything.

They love French toast, pizza.

We have even fed them chicken.

But don't tell them that.

It might freak some of them out.

Narrator: Even though
smallpox is sometimes

confused with chickenpox,

chickens are not
susceptible to the

smallpox virus.

Braxton: If you have
a total collapse and

there's no supermarkets,
if you're getting 8

fresh eggs a day, I
mean it's invaluable.

Kara: Our big family
joke is that when the

time comes and we have
to grab our bug out

bags, we're all going to
grab a chicken with our

bug out bag and
run down the road.

Braxton: Okay, lift this up.

Narrator: Braxton's
built a portable chicken

coup that he can bug out with at

a moment's notice.

Braxton: Pick your
side up more, Colton.

Drop it.

Sle itn.

My family has biological suits.

Everybody has a suit
that you can strip off

and also biological mask
to filter the air so

we're not breathing it in.

Kara: It's huge.

Is iwhat I'm going to look like.

Narrator: Braxton urgently wants

to get on the road.

In the event of a
smallpox attack 2,000

national guard troops
could be on the

ground in a day to
cut off the city.

Braxton: Every road out
of the city would be

stopped by the military
with checkints

so it'd be important for
us once the outbreak is

announced, that we have
to leave immediately.

Narrator: But not
everyone shares his

see of urgency.

Kara: Really?

This is what we're
going to do with

our day today?

How fast can we get this done?

Narrator: So Braxton's
call in favoto

demonstrate what Ty
COD albe in for,

if they lag behind.

Braxton: Braxi, you have a copy?

Brax Jr: Copy.

Yeah what's up?

Braxton: Just keep going
until they stop you.

Oh my gosh.

Naatorbraxn southwick

is prepping his family for a

biological teorisatta.

Braxton: Let's do it.

Narrator: He fears
America's enemies

will target the U.S.

With the smallpox
virus, and that he

and his family wil
be tpped in eir

home under a
military quarantine.

But not every member
of the southwick clan

thinks the smallpox threat is

as serious as Braxton does.

Kara: Normally when he
comes to me with any of

his big ideas I roll
my eyes and say,

"are wgointalkbout th aga, rely?

Can we talk about
something else, please?"

Narrator: Today is
their first family

bug-out drill.

But Braxton wants
them to see what

they could all be in for,

if they don't take the
smallpox threat seriously.

He hasn't told them that
he's arranged for them

to run into a surprise
military checkpoint.

Braxton: They're
questioning Braxton on,

probably about
where he's been and

what they're going to do with us.

Wade: You went through
the potentially

contaminated area.

What we will have to
do is do a check to

determine you have no
contamination before you

go into the clean
area on the far side

of this barrier.

What do you have in the back?

Tristan: I just have chickens.

Wade: The chickens
may have to stay here.

We don't know if they're
coamined onot.

If they are, they may have to be

disposed of at this location.

Narrator: The detection
gun can identify nerve

agents, and other
chemical warfare agents,

even gamma radiation.

But there is currently
no detector that can

immediatelidenfy
a ological agent

like smallpox.

Wade: Did you come
into contact with

anything other than
your family today?

Jayden: No.

No, I don't think so.

Wade: Okay, I'm
going to have you sit

on this backboard.

Narrator: Anyone showing
signs of viral infection

would immediately be isolate

Jayden: Dad!

Narrator: Everyone
else is put through the

decontamination station.

Wade: First thing
to do is take off

all your clothes.

Take the sponge.

Use the sponge to scrub yourself

down from head to toe.

Make sure you don't get
anything in your eyes.

Go ahead and jump in.

Narrator: If exposed
to a chemical agent,

experts advise disposing of your

clothing immediately to
remove the majority

of any contamination.

Then, a three-to-five-minute

shower, washing both skin and

hair with soapy water,

is the most common method
of decontamination.

Even liquid dishwashing
soap or laundry

detergent can be
used in a pinch,

so long as
decontamination is done

as quickly as possible
following exposure.

Wade: All right.

He's clean.

Step on through.

Narrator: Braxton set
up this drill so that

master sergeant
Wade Francis from the

Utah national guard's
chemical and biological

emergency response
unit could evaluate his

family's preparedness.

Wade: I think Braxton
held up really,

really well today.

He did a really good job,

had a lot of control
with his family,

and was real
enthusiastic about it.

I think they've got a
good plan and they've

got an idea of what
they're going to do.

But for biological attack,

they still need some better, ah,

protective equipment.

The one thing we did do
was brinyou t so

better, ah, protective
clothing to wear,

little bit more adequate
to what we're preparing

for in this type of a scenario.

This is a tychem-f.

It does a far better
job with chemical,

biological, and
radiological protection.

This is a powered,

air-purifying respirator.

Uses a blower motor,

has a battery pack
attached to it and

blows the air right
into your face.

Kara: When Braxton said
we're going to run a bug

out drill, I thought to myself

"oh, good grief,
here we go again."

But it was definitely different,

not what I expected.

I think it's beneficial
really for the kids to

see what they need
to do to be prepared.

I think going forward
this experience has

really been eye
opening for our family.

We'll definitely be
better prepared to

execute our game plan
and be able to get

through whatever
gets thrown at us.

Braxton: I learned a ton,

and I'm going to change
a lot after today.

Narrator: Braxton,
the experts at

practical preppers have
assessed your preps.

Your food storage methods and

chicken Coop are great.

Your water stores are adequate;

however your re-supply
plan relies on small

rain catching barrels
that provide a

limited amount of
unpurified water.

You need to increase your supply

of healthy drinking water.

Braxton: Yeah, I, I
completely agree with

that and I'm working
towards a better water

solution for my family.

Narrator: Your family's
training with firearms

is excellent for security,

but not having a bunker
or safe room in your

home could be a great danger to

your family's safety.

Braxton: Our original plan is to

bug out to the cabin.

I'm not going to
build a bunker here.

Narrator: To determine
how long you could

initially survive a catastrophe,

practical preppers has
scored your preps in

five categories
of 20 points each,

for a total possible
score of 100.

Food: 15 out of 20 points.

Your water plan at
home is unsustainable.

10 out of 20 points.

Shelter: 18 out of 20 points.

Your large family means
more able-bodied hands

to help with security:
14 out of 20 points.

In addition, your
extensive planning with

your family gives you
14 x-factor points.

Overall, you get
a 71 out of 100.

You have 13 months
initial survival time.

Braxton: I got to tell you I'm

disappointed with that score.

I would have thought
it would have

been a little bit higher.

Hey, national geograic!

Since you guys were
last here we've

made a lot of changes.

We've added 300
gallons of water to

our food storage,

and I got a new
filtration system that

does two gallons per hour,

and I also did a
lot of research,

and I want to get a
milking goat to add to

the southwick farm
in the backyard.

Narratorsincits eradatioin t

1970s, the only known
samples of the smallpox

virus are kept inwo ls,

onin the U.S., one in Russia.

The U.S. also keeps
enough vaccine on hand

to vaccinate everyone
who would need it

in the event of an outbreak.